Recap of our weekend Part 1 and Gelati Pazzo Marco Review September 11, 2012

Well, it is back to the grind (and back to our normal, healthy eating habits and regular exercise) at our household today! We had a great time in Gualala and at my cousin’s wedding this past Satuday, as well as visiting my uncle yesterday, but it is nice to be back home. Though I’m not ready to face reality, it is nice to sleep in my own bed! I am a creature of routine, so it was nice to get back into it today. Are you a creature of routine? How do you get back on track after being on vacation?

Keenan had music class this morning, so we had to be up and out of the house quickly. Since we were all SO tired from staying up late and not sleeping well over the weekend, Keenan woke up at 8:50 a.m.!! It felt wonderful to be able to sleep in this morning because our bodies needed it! Since Keenan’s class was at 10:00 and it takes a good 20 minute drive, we ate a quick breakfast of toasted pancakes with peanut butter and honey. My lovely husband made me a latte to go, so I could drink it on the drive. After class, we went to the grocery store to stock up for the week (since we hardly had any food in our fridge).

After we got home, we had lunch: Our “usual” breakfast–since we hadn’t had yogurt in a while–with peaches, flax seed and Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal. Keenan was so wired (and tired) from  a lack of sleep over the weekend, he thought everything was funny! He kept saying, “That funny!”

After Keenan’s nap, we headed to CrossFit for a MUCH NEEDED workout! I was looking forward to a gruelling WOD, because I need to burn off all of the calories I consumed over the past 5 days! Today’s WOD was 7 rounds for time (12 minute time cap) of 10 kettlebell swings (35 lb for women) and 10 ring dips, rest 3 minutes and do as many burpees as you can in 90 seconds. It was short, but certainly sweet!

Well, onto a recap of our weekend (Part 1) and review of the Gelateria, Gelati Pazzo Marco, that we visited on Friday, while we were in Gualala:

I know I said this in Friday’s post, but WOW! I was so impressed with Gelati Pazzo Marco’s gelato, and owners (very friendly and accommodating)! The texture and creaminess of the gelato was exactly what I had while I lived in Italy! Most other gelato that I have tried in the States has a great flavor, but lacks the texture and creaminess that you find in Itay. Gelati Pazzo Marco is a micro-gelateria (making small batches of gelato) in Gualala, California. Marco Moramarco and Paolo Vierra moved to Gualala, leaving the corporate world in San Francisco to do something that they were passionate about, leading a slower pace of life, thus making gelato. Marco studied the art of gelato making in Bologna, Italy and worked in a gelataria, before starting Gelati Pazzo Marco. Most of their equipment is imported from Italy, and they make all of their gelato from SCRATCH, and use all natural, organic ingredients, unlike many other gelaterias in the states that use a pre-made base. Since they make their gelato from scratch, they are a USDA licensed milk handling facility, thus they can make anything with milk, including cheese (something that they are working on for the future). They purchase their milk from Walter Stornetta Ranch, a local dairy a few miles up the road from them; in fact, Marco and Paolo pick up the milk themselves in the stainless steel jugs below.

Gelati Pazzo Marco Gelateria: All of their gelato is made in this small building.

After they get the milk, they pasteurize it. Once it is pasteurized, they place it into a cooling machine to bring the temperature of the milk down to 39 degrees quickly, so they can mix in the other ingredients (sugar and any other flavoring, etc). Depending on what flavor they are making, they mix in the rest of the ingredients and let the gelato sit for 24 hours (so the flavors meld together) before pouring it into the freezing machine.

The jugs that they use to collect milk from the dairy.

A view of the machine that pasteurizes the milk (cylinder in the corner) and the chilling machine (rectangle to the right).

Once the gelato is in the freezing machine, it mixes in there until it’s ready.

Taking the gelato out of the freezing machine.

After it is done, they take the gelato out and store in the freezer for 24 hours before packaging it.

Paolo packaging the gelato!

We were very fortunate to taste about a half a dozen delicious flavors! We tried some of their sorbetto (non-dairy) flavors, such as plum-apple, peach and blood orange, which were amazing! We also sampled their regular gelato flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, hazelnut and mint stracciatella. All of the flavors we sampled were excellent…perfect texture, creaminess and richness. It is now three days later and I can still taste the different flavors in my mouth, in fact, my mouth is salivating just thinking about it, again! I wish we lived closer, because I would be a regular customer! Anyhow, I HIGHLY recommend trying some of Gelati Pazzo Marco’s gelato, if you are ever visiting the North Coast, or traveling through Gualala!! You can find their gelato at a couple of local stores, Trinks Cafe or at Surf Super Market (both serve cones or cups), or you can purchase a small container to go.

Tasting!

On Saturday, we headed to Healdsburg for my cousin’s wedding. Before we went to the hotel to get dressed, we stopped at a little cupcake shop for a little snack and a coffee (my husband and I desperately needed a little pick-me-up). We ended up getting three cupcakes, because they looked SO good! My cappuccino and my husband’s macchiato were probably some of the best (if not THE best) espresso we both have ever had! Anyhow, look for my review/write-up of the cupcake shop for my next post!

Once we got dressed we headed to the wedding, which was outside, in a small courtyard, next to Bear Republic Brewery. It was a lovely wedding and Keenan had so much fun dancing and playing with all of my little cousins! It was so cute to see the little boys take him under their wings and dance and play with him! Keenan enjoyed himself so much that he literally partied until he dropped (on my shoulder), around 10:00 p.m.! It was a wonderful evening and it was fun to see Keenan interact with everyone, especially dancing with Uncle E, Nonna and Avo! Poor thing, we didn’t get back to our hotel until 11:30 p.m., so Keenan was exhausted, to say the least! We had to be up fairly early to meet my uncle for church the next day, so we were all tired!

Having fun with Nonna and Avo at the wedding!

Playing with his cousins!

Dancing with Uncle E!

Such a tired boy!

Well, this is already getting to be a long post, so I’ll save the recap of the rest of our weekend for my next post! Have a great evening!

TGIF and lots of Sweets! September 7, 2012

Happy Friday! It is so beautiful on the coast today…sunny and not too cold!

Last night was rough. When we were about to put Keenan in the tub for his bath, he burped and then vomited. Luckily it was almost all contained in the tub, but it was still a mess! Poor little guy, he didn’t know what had happened! He seemed fine, though very tired after doing his bath and getting him ready for bed. About an hour after I put him to bed, he woke up and vomited again, this time all over himself and his pac n’ play. Poor thing, he was so scared and upset. We quickly got him up, undressed and cleaned before figuring out what to do. Luckily, there is a crib at the house, so we set it up (wrapping plastic garbage bags around the matress, just in case) and put him back to bed. After he puked the second time, he seemed much better and thankfully, he didn’t puke the rest of the night. Meanwhile, we put everything in the wash: sleepsack, pjs, sheet and all of his critters. My husband cleaned the pac n’ play in the tub, so it could dry all night.

I was worried that Keenan would still feel icky today, but he was his happy, cheerful self when he woke up this morning (thank goodness!). I am not sure what caused him to vomit…as we all ate the same thing, except for the huckleberry jam/syrup on his peanut butter sandwich yesterday, which someone had left in the fridge for a long time. It is the only thing that my husband and I didn’t eat. It is the worst feeling when your child is sick and vomits because they are so surprised and/or scared by it and they don’t know what to do.  Anyhow, I’m glad and relieved that Keenan feels better. I am watching him like a hawk, today, but so far (knock on wood), he has been fine!

For breakfast, my husband made a scramble with eggs, leftover oven-baked potato fries from last night, bacon (chopped up), a tomato and cheese topped with some avocado and salsa. It was delicious! Keenan ate most of his plate and drank quite a bit of water (he was definitely dehydrated). Sorry, I completely forgot to take a picture!

The wonderful display of goodies at Franny’s Cup and Saucer!

After breakfast, we drove 20 minutes north to Point Arena to get some heavenly goodies at Franny’s Cup and Saucer, a local (and very tiny) bakery owned by a mother and daughter team: Frances (Franny) and Barbara Burkey. Just the aroma of all of the delicious baked goods is enough to make you gain five pounds! Everything is amazing! Each time we stay in Gualala, we always try to go to Franny’s at least once.  Today, we got a gluten-free peanut butter and chocolate cookie, chocolate gingersnap cookie, cashew with brown butter frosting cookie and a guiness dark chocolate bar with a salted pretzel crust, along with a jar of their homemade cinderella pumpkin butter (the best pumpkin butter I have ever had!). All of their goodies–cookies, pastries, chocolates, cakes and even pizzas and frittatas–are equisite! They also serve espresso and every latte I have had there has been prefectly creamy. It is a must-stop if you are ever driving on Highway 1, heading to Fort Bragg or Mendocino!! I can’t say enough good things about it!

After Franny’s, we headed to a local gelateria, Gelati Pazzo Marco for a tour and tasting. All I can say is WOW! Since studying in Italy when I was in college, I am VERY picky about my gelato. I haven’t tasted anything in the states that has come close to what you find in Italy, until I had Gelati Pazzo Marco! We had a great time there, and Keenan certainly enjoyind trying all of the different flavors; he kept saying, “Try more, try more!” We spent an hour and a half there, learning about how they make it, where they get their ingredients and how they package it, so I’m going to save my write-up/review for later. Look for more about Gelati Pazzo Marco in my next post!

Gelati Pazzo Marco!

For lunch, I made Keenan a peanut butter and banana sandwich (minus the honey or jam this time) and a glass of milk and water. Even after tasting gelato, he devoured his sandwich in minutes! My husband and I split a wonderful Croque Monsieur from Franny’s Cup and Saucer with a peach and some baby carrots! It was delish!

Well, today we were planning on getting a workout in at the beach, but it has turned into another relaxing day. Since Keenan is napping, we are going to enjoy some wine while finishing our movie from last night!

Once Keenan gets up, we are going to take a walk, so at least I’ll be getting some exercise in! Tomorrow, we are headed to my cousin’s wedding and then home on Sunday. Gosh, with all of the goodies we have been eating here, I definitely need to get back on track with my eating and workouts, starting first thing on Monday!

Relaxing by the Sea September 6, 2012

There is nothing better than waking up to the sounds and smell of the ocean! I just love the North Coast! Keenan slept until 7:30 this morning, so we were able to sleep in a bit! After a long day of driving yesterday, my husband and I were so tired, that we quickly ate dinner and went to bed (after putting Keenan to bed). We all woke-up refreshed this morning and ready to enjoy the coast!

For starters, my husband made us a nice breakfast: An egg, thick cut bacon and cheese sandwich with tomato and avocado on whole wheat bread. It was SO yummy!! Keenan practically ate his sandwich in less tan 5 minutes! In addition, we had lattes (we brought our french press with us) and we all shared a peach.I know I have said this before, but there is something very satisfying about eating a sandwich, burger or burrito with your hands? Maybe it is our primal instincts…I don’t know. Do you feel the same way when you eat food with your hands?   

Our delicious breakfast sandwich!

After breakfast, we relaxed a bit, played with Keenan and then went for a walk around town. Keenan picked up some rocks along the way and we stopped to take pictures!

Finding rocks!

Putting the rocks in his pockets!

Enjoying our walk!

We browsed in a few shops and I tried on a pair of TOM shoes that didn’t fit. I was bummed because I have been wanting a pair for a while, and this store had them for 50% off! While I was trying on shoes, Keenan wanted to wear my shoes! Doesn’t he look funny with my big shoe?

Wearing Mommy’s shoe!

After doing some more window shopping, we headed back to the house and I made Keenan lunch. I made him his favorite: A peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of milk. He was SO content and SO tired, too. He walked a lot, so I think we wore him out!

After Keenan’s nap, we are going to walk down to a little cafe called Trinks, that overlooks the ocean and serves local gelato. We promised Keenan an ice cream cone, so we are going to eat our cones while we watch the ocean! Since we are in “relax mode” today, I don’t think we will be heading down to the beach for a workout. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to get a workout in!

Now, time for a little reading and relaxing with some beer! Enjoy the rest of your day!